The mother of a teenager who was killed when he lost control of a high-powered motorbike during a police chase near Gallows Corner has said her son “deserved to come home alive”.
East London Coroner's Court heard yesterday (November 4) Matas Saulius Ragaisis died after crashing into a metal central barrier between the A12 and start of the flyover at Gallows Corner on October 24, two weeks after his 19th birthday. It happened after police reportedly indicated for a motorbike to pull over, but according to the Metropolitan Police it "failed to stop".
And the reason for the tug appears to have been that they saw the motorbike had no number plates.
While the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigates how officers handled the incident, Matas’ mother Erica Lennox has asked: “Why was the pursuit considered necessary at all?”
According to the mum, the wording “failed to stop” suggests he knowingly ignored clear instruction. But she questions whether sirens were activated and whether he had a reasonable opportunity to stop.
I’m not an expert on motorbikes, having never ridden one and planning never to do so, but I’m pretty sure they have brakes like cars.
She continued: “These questions matter because the police’s wording has created an impression of my son before the full circumstances have been independently established.”
And you're creating an impression of the way he was raised and why he became a scofflaw who would opt to attempt to flee police rather than stop.
The mum pointed out that the joint IOPC and National Police Chiefs’ Council media protocol says that before an independent investigation is declared, police should restrict their comments to matters of facts which cannot be disputed during an IOPC investigation.She feels that the Metropolitan Police did not follow this with their statement, although an IOPC conclusion to this has not been formed at this stage.
The facts are the police signalled him to stop and he didn’t.
Ms Lennox said: “I want to know how the Metropolitan Police decided what information to release and why their public account focused on my son's alleged actions without explaining the decisions of the pursuing officers.“The public heard their version before I, his mother, received any meaningful explanation.”
Ms Lennox believes that the conditions of the pursuit near a busy road and during a storm should have been considered before a chase over a suspected traffic offence.
Why should the police give a license to everyone else who fancies their chances at being a getaway driver if the weather’s bad? That, in effect, is what you’re asking to be policy.
Since the death, she has raised concerns about the police’s public statement and the handling of this pursuit with the IOPC. The grieving mum has plans to push for an initiative called Matas' Law, calling for a review of police pursuit rules and stronger safeguards for motorcyclists.
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“Matas was not only my son, he was also my carer. I have health problems, and he helped me with so many things in everyday life.
“He was the kind of person who made others feel better just by being around.”
And what does that have to do with anything? Drivers like him don’t make other motorists feel better, do they?
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